Raven Holmes:
A Compelling Attraction to Public Health Sciences
It is altogether fitting that Raven Holmes will be among the first
graduates from Xavier’s new Public Health Sciences program
when she walks across the stage next May. She’s been on the
front lines for community health for quite some time.
A senior from Washington DC (Walter Johnson High in
Bethesda MD), Holmes arrived at Xavier in 2009 with the sole
intention of getting into medical school. And where better
than XU, which is first among the nation’s colleges in the
number of African American graduates who go on to complete
medical school.
Xavier University of Louisiana
1 Drexel Drive
New Orleans LA 70125
www.xula.edu
A publication for prospective
students of Xavier University
of Louisiana, their parents,
and High School counselors
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
New Orleans, La.
Permit No. 387
Volume 19
Development Foundation in Buea, Cameroon, and the group
is currently raising the funds necessary to promote a good
hygiene and safe sanitation project there.
Winter 2013
“Just as in many rural areas of the world, too many people in
But during those intervening years that singular ambition
was taken on a detour. First there was a death in the family
that compelled her to attend college in Maryland for a full
year [she returned to New Orleans upon realizing that XU
was where she really wanted to be], followed by an overseas
summer internship that altered her career focus. Lastly there
was Xavier’s decision to offer a new major in Public Health
Sciences (PHS) in 2012.
Not that she has forsaken her original goal – she still plans
to go to medical school and specialize in obstetrics. It’s just
that her passion has been redirected towards working in a
community setting, amongst the poorest and neediest of the
world’s populations. She envisions herself one day working for
an organization like Doctors without Borders, an international
medical humanitarian group which provides independent,
impartial assistance in more than 60 countries to people
whose survival is threatened by natural and man-induced
phenomenon.
As a transfer into the fledgling PHS program, Holmes is in a
unique position with relationship to medical school. Prior to
entering the program, she had already taken several science
courses not specifically required for the PHS degree, but
pretty much considered sine qua non for medical school
admission.
She also possesses a lot of other intangibles that would
be considered highly desirable. Her real world, hand-on
experiences include a malaria research program internship at
prestigious Johns Hopkins University, research on the impact
of Vitamin A on pregnancy and infant growth in Bangladesh
as part of another Hopkins project, and teaching health
education to high school students through the Louisiana
Public Health Service. And, by the way, she is quite fluent in
French.
Here at Xavier, Holmes is the founder and co-president of
GlobeMed, a group that seeks to educate and train student
advocates for global health equity by partnering with a
grassroots organization overseas and building strong long-term
relationships. XU’s GlobeMed partner is the Food and Rural
Thomas Walker: The Lights Come on in Paris
(L-R) XU President Dr. Norman
C. Francis, senior public health
sciences major Raven Holmes, and
the 18th Surgeon General of the
United States and the new Endowed
Chair in Public Health Sciences Dr.
Regina Benjamin
Cameroon are becoming ill unnecessarily because they do
not have access to safe drinking water or a place to bathe
free of contamination,” said Holmes, who expects to be part
of student group that travels to work on-site next summer.
“Our hope is to raise enough funds to construct a community
latrine and to raise awareness in these communities about how
important sanitation is to their health.”
For more information or to submit an online application for
admission, please visit the Xavier website at www.xula.edu.
Office of Admissions
Phone: (504) 520-7388 | Toll Free: 1 (877)-XAVIERU
Fax: (504) 520-7941 | Email: apply@xula.edu
Paris is often referred to as
“the City of Lights”. That’s
precisely the effect it had on
junior political science major
Thomas Walker, who had a
“light bulb” inside his own
head click on while studying
abroad in the French capital
last spring.
Back in 2012, Walker, who
hails from Los Angeles CA
(Frederick Douglas High), was
floundering around as some
sophomores are prone to do
– not really sure about what
he wanted to do and looking
for some catalyst to ignite his
passion. Much to his surprise,
he found it one day when he
wandered into one of the XU
Center for Intercultural and
International Program’s (CIIP)
Study Abroad Fairs.
“I had given some thought to
studying abroad before, but it
wasn’t until I talked with the
reps at the fair and to (CIIP
director) Mr. (Torian) Lee, did
I realize that it was really a
feasible option,” he said. “In
fact I was shocked how easy
the process was.”
Not the least among the
surprising facts he learned
about studying abroad: the
cost of the program, which
included a place to stay and
most of his meals, was pretty
much the same as his regular
Xavier tuition would have
been. His only real additional
costs were for travel and some
incidental living expenses.
And as a result of his four
months attending the
American Business School in
Paris through the International
Study Abroad (ISA) program,
Walker is no longer a
floundering soul. He is, in fact,
excited about his future, which
he now envisions including
law school and a career in
international relations. But
he’s not idling away his time at
Xavier either. Since returning
he has become very active on
campus, among other things,
serving as an Ambassador
for the CIIP and the Career
Advancement Center. He
finds he is much more focused
academically as well.
While in France, Walker
picked up academic credits in
the areas of political science,
psychology, art history, and,
of course, French. He was
surprised by two things: how
easy it was to pick up the
language, and how hard art
history turned out to be.
he was forced to learn how
to get around on the Metro,
to learn the language, and to
learn how to make his own
decisions. “There’s a nine-hour
time differential between Paris
and Los Angeles,” he laughed.
“There was no calling Mom
for some quick advice.”
Having taken stock of himself,
Walker is ready to take on the
world.
Jade Romain:
Language is No Barrier
Every once and while, life throws
you a curve ball; but it’s not always
a bad thing. Such was the case
for an unsuspecting Jade Romain,
whose experience overseas last
summer turned out to be a whole lot
different than she expected.
A senior speech pathology major
from Los Angeles CA (St. Mary’s
Academy), Romain traveled to
Africa expense-free at the invitation
of close friend, Teresa Langness,
director and founder of Full Circle
Learning, an international non-profit
which provides educational services
to community schools in developing
countries around the globe.
“Paris is a great city to study
art history – I got to visit the
Louvre and numerous other
great galleries and museums,”
he said. “But it was a really
difficult course to get through.”
Walker attributes his rebirth
to the self-dependency he
acquired abroad. Living with
an older couple in the city
several miles from the school,
Enthusiastic members of Xavier’s new freshman class, (L-R) Teneaka
White and Erica Greenwood, proudly display the Class of 2017
baseball caps they received during New Student Orientation’s
annual “capping” ceremony. Xavier was pleased to welcome a
freshman class of 675 into the fold for Fall 2013.
XU junior political science major
Thomas Walker in Paris, France.
Told she would be teaching
“character development” to pre-K/
kindergarten students (ages 2-7) in
Affording a Quality
Xavier Education
an area of Lusaka, Zambia known as
Chibolya, she was shocked to find
herself in a situation where none
of the children spoke any English.
Needless to say Romain had failed
to brush up on her Bemba, Tonga,
Nyanja, or any of the other scores of
languages spoken by the locals.
Introduced only as the “new
teacher”, Romain struggled early on
to teach 60 children the alphabet,
shapes, colors, numbers, and other
such rudimentary skills with no
educational materials other than
what she had brought along herself,
in a community school classroom
with no desks, no chairs, and no
windows – just holes in the wall for
ventilation.
continued on page 2
A Xavier education is well worth the investment
that families make.
The University takes great pride in the quality
of its academic programs. The value-oriented
educational environment and the many positive
influences provided through the campus life
programs supplement the formal classroom
experience. A Xavier diploma is one that is
recognized nationally and, indeed, around the
world. XU graduates are prepared to compete for
positions in the work-force and slots in graduate,
medical and other professional schools.
Xavier administers a broad array of financial
aid programs, including scholarships, grants,
loans, and work-study to assist in meeting
a student’s demonstrated financial need. In
addition, programs are available for families who
continued on page 2
Jade Romain...
She found herself among the
poorest of the poor. She remembers
spending the whole first night crying.
“The real challenge was trying to
motivate children who rarely had
enough to eat and who endured
the most rudimentary of living
conditions,” said Romain, pointing
out that families in the area routinely
shared the same scarce sanitation
facilities and water resources. “Even
with such organizations as Children’s
International providing some relief,
on Mondays I’d have half the class
out because they had eaten no food
the whole weekend.”
Undeterred, however, Romain
persevered and is proud to say that
by the time she departed three
months later her “babies” were well
on their way to mastering some of
the basics of the English language.
But that wasn’t enough for her.
She and a colleague approached
government officials and consulted
with the local U.S. Embassy, and
the end result was creation of the
Khondanani Project, a certified
national organization dedicated to
bringing educational resources to
the nation’s community schools.
The Project has partnered with
Children’s International, which has
agreed to help with distribution.
“There is a dire need of educational
Senior speech pathology major Jade
Romain in Chibolya, Zambia
continued from page 1
materials for both the children and
the teachers,” said Roman, who
pointed out the native “teachers”
are in fact non-paid volunteers who
themselves seldom have even a high
school education. “The teachers
are there because they love the
children, but they really have no
sense of curriculum or of effective
teaching methods.”
Since returning to New Orleans,
Romain has made some outreach to
local public and private schools to
acquire their surplus and otherwise
unneeded educational materials,
and has begun to outline plans to
appeal to individuals for funding.
The Project is awaiting official U.S.
certification that would qualify it for
corporate and federal funding.
Meanwhile Romain, who will
graduate in May, is completing her
clinical practice at the Lusher School
this semester and busily applying
for graduate school. But a return
to Zambia is also definitely in her
immediate future.
“I am anxious to get back to
Chibolya and bring the community
schools the things they need to be
successful,” she said. “But I also note
that there is no speech pathology or
audiology presence in the country,
and that’s something I’d also like to
help change.”
Ten reasons you should be at XAVIER
Affording a Xavier Education
continued from page 1
do not demonstrate financial need but who are
interested in investigating various education
financing options such as a monthly payment
plan, the Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
and the PLUS Loan for Parents. ROTC programs
provide yet another alternative for some
students. Many families combine two or more of
these programs to help manage their financial
obligation.
What is “Financial Need”? It’s the difference
between the estimated cost of attendance
for a school year and the estimated family
contribution. The estimated family contribution is
based upon the information the family provides
annually on the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA). Factors such as income,
assets, liabilities, family size, number of family
members in college, age of parents, and private
school costs for other children are considered
in determining a family’s financial strength.
The University assumes that all families will
contribute to educational costs to the extent that
they are capable.
What’s the first step? Students should submit
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov as soon as possible
after January 1st using the Xavier Code of
002032.
1
2
3
AFFORDABILITY
HIGHLY REGARDED
Xavier’s 2013-14 cost of attendance (including tuition, room & board, transportation and
other miscellaneous expenses) is $33,786 a year. That’s less than the national average for
private institutions ($43,289) and even the national average for out-of-state residents at public
institutions ($35,312). Even so, 85% of all Xavier students receive some form of financial aid or
scholarships, which lightens the burden even more.
The 2014 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges has tabbed Xavier as among its “Best Buy
Schools” for academics and affordability. XU was the only Louisiana institution and one of
only three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to make the list. Xavier was
also singled out as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education by The
Princeton Review in the 2014 edition of its annual “The Best 378 Colleges”. In addition, Xavier
tied for the No. 5 spot among Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the 2014 edition of
“Best Colleges” by U.S. News Media Group.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Xavier was named one of the top colleges and universities in Louisiana for “return on
investment” by AffordableCollegesOnline.org, which places Xavier fifth in the state among
colleges that the organization feels “balance cost with long-term earnings potential”. XU was
the highest rated of the two private schools on the list, which included only the top 13 of the 132
state schools reviewed.
4
5
Xavier’s national prominence is not the result of churning through large numbers of students
– far from it. A moderate enrollment (3,121) feeds a “quality not quantity” approach and lends
itself to a low faculty/student ratio (13 to 1) that encourages close faculty-student interaction and
enhances opportunities to work with a mentor in collaborative classroom projects, high-level
undergraduate research, and service-learning activities.
7
WE’RE NO. 1
Xavier is first among the nation’s colleges and universities in the number of African American
graduates who go on to complete medical school, according to data compiled by the
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Xavier had 60 African-American graduates
earn medical degrees in 2011, the latest year for which complete data is available.
We’re also No. 1 in the nation in producing African American graduates who go on to receive
life sciences PhDs. (source: National Science Foundation) and No. 1 number one in the nation
for awarding African Americans baccalaureate degrees in physics and the physical sciences
(source: American Institute of Physics).
Call the Office of Admissions at 504-520-7388
for more information.
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
6
WE’RE ALSO NO.’s 5, 7 &12
A National Science Foundation report ranks Xavier 5th in the nation in producing African
American graduates who go on to receive science and engineering PhDs, and 7th in the nation
in producing African American graduates who go on to receive physical sciences PhDs. A
Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine report showed Xavier tied for 12th nationwide in
the number of African American students earning professional doctorate degrees (in this case,
the Pharm.D. degree) with 54.
DID SOMEONE SAY PHARMACY?
Xavier’s College of Pharmacy, one of only two such schools in Louisiana, is one of the nation’s
top four producers of African American Doctor of Pharmacy degree recipients.
GOOD TO THE CORE
Undergraduate students, regardless of their major, are required to complete sixty hours of
liberal arts core curriculum in addition to courses required of their major field. You’ll not only
be well-prepared for your profession, but for life.
A DIVERSE STUDENT BODY
From its founding Xavier has embraced a special mission to serve the African American
Catholic community; however, its doors have always been open to qualified students of every
race and creed. Today 72.8 percent of its enrollment is African American and 27.1 percent is
Catholic.
WHERE YA AT?
It is easy to fall in love with New Orleans. One of the great cities of the world, New Orleans
continues to be internationally revered for its foods, its music, its festivals, and its people.
Student life is enriched by that social and cultural setting, as well as by campus activities
designed to enhance personal growth, interpersonal skills, and leadership in such areas as
community service, the environment, cultural concerns, and social justice.
LAGNIAPPE: DID WE MENTION AFFORDABLE?
Xavier is ranked No. 13 on the Affordable CollegesOnline.org website’s list of the Top 36 Most
Affordable Roman Catholic Colleges with High Starting Salaries. XU is the only predominantly
Black and the only Louisiana institution to make the list.
8
9
10
Raven Holmes:
A Compelling Attraction to Public Health Sciences
It is altogether fitting that Raven Holmes will be among the first
graduates from Xavier’s new Public Health Sciences program
when she walks across the stage next May. She’s been on the
front lines for community health for quite some time.
A senior from Washington DC (Walter Johnson High in
Bethesda MD), Holmes arrived at Xavier in 2009 with the sole
intention of getting into medical school. And where better
than XU, which is first among the nation’s colleges in the
number of African American graduates who go on to complete
medical school.
Xavier University of Louisiana
1 Drexel Drive
New Orleans LA 70125
www.xula.edu
A publication for prospective
students of Xavier University
of Louisiana, their parents,
and High School counselors
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
New Orleans, La.
Permit No. 387
Volume 19
Development Foundation in Buea, Cameroon, and the group
is currently raising the funds necessary to promote a good
hygiene and safe sanitation project there.
Winter 2013
“Just as in many rural areas of the world, too many people in
But during those intervening years that singular ambition
was taken on a detour. First there was a death in the family
that compelled her to attend college in Maryland for a full
year [she returned to New Orleans upon realizing that XU
was where she really wanted to be], followed by an overseas
summer internship that altered her career focus. Lastly there
was Xavier’s decision to offer a new major in Public Health
Sciences (PHS) in 2012.
Not that she has forsaken her original goal – she still plans
to go to medical school and specialize in obstetrics. It’s just
that her passion has been redirected towards working in a
community setting, amongst the poorest and neediest of the
world’s populations. She envisions herself one day working for
an organization like Doctors without Borders, an international
medical humanitarian group which provides independent,
impartial assistance in more than 60 countries to people
whose survival is threatened by natural and man-induced
phenomenon.
As a transfer into the fledgling PHS program, Holmes is in a
unique position with relationship to medical school. Prior to
entering the program, she had already taken several science
courses not specifically required for the PHS degree, but
pretty much considered sine qua non for medical school
admission.
She also possesses a lot of other intangibles that would
be considered highly desirable. Her real world, hand-on
experiences include a malaria research program internship at
prestigious Johns Hopkins University, research on the impact
of Vitamin A on pregnancy and infant growth in Bangladesh
as part of another Hopkins project, and teaching health
education to high school students through the Louisiana
Public Health Service. And, by the way, she is quite fluent in
French.
Here at Xavier, Holmes is the founder and co-president of
GlobeMed, a group that seeks to educate and train student
advocates for global health equity by partnering with a
grassroots organization overseas and building strong long-term
relationships. XU’s GlobeMed partner is the Food and Rural
Thomas Walker: The Lights Come on in Paris
(L-R) XU President Dr. Norman
C. Francis, senior public health
sciences major Raven Holmes, and
the 18th Surgeon General of the
United States and the new Endowed
Chair in Public Health Sciences Dr.
Regina Benjamin
Cameroon are becoming ill unnecessarily because they do
not have access to safe drinking water or a place to bathe
free of contamination,” said Holmes, who expects to be part
of student group that travels to work on-site next summer.
“Our hope is to raise enough funds to construct a community
latrine and to raise awareness in these communities about how
important sanitation is to their health.”
For more information or to submit an online application for
admission, please visit the Xavier website at www.xula.edu.
Office of Admissions
Phone: (504) 520-7388 | Toll Free: 1 (877)-XAVIERU
Fax: (504) 520-7941 | Email: apply@xula.edu
Paris is often referred to as
“the City of Lights”. That’s
precisely the effect it had on
junior political science major
Thomas Walker, who had a
“light bulb” inside his own
head click on while studying
abroad in the French capital
last spring.
Back in 2012, Walker, who
hails from Los Angeles CA
(Frederick Douglas High), was
floundering around as some
sophomores are prone to do
– not really sure about what
he wanted to do and looking
for some catalyst to ignite his
passion. Much to his surprise,
he found it one day when he
wandered into one of the XU
Center for Intercultural and
International Program’s (CIIP)
Study Abroad Fairs.
“I had given some thought to
studying abroad before, but it
wasn’t until I talked with the
reps at the fair and to (CIIP
director) Mr. (Torian) Lee, did
I realize that it was really a
feasible option,” he said. “In
fact I was shocked how easy
the process was.”
Not the least among the
surprising facts he learned
about studying abroad: the
cost of the program, which
included a place to stay and
most of his meals, was pretty
much the same as his regular
Xavier tuition would have
been. His only real additional
costs were for travel and some
incidental living expenses.
And as a result of his four
months attending the
American Business School in
Paris through the International
Study Abroad (ISA) program,
Walker is no longer a
floundering soul. He is, in fact,
excited about his future, which
he now envisions including
law school and a career in
international relations. But
he’s not idling away his time at
Xavier either. Since returning
he has become very active on
campus, among other things,
serving as an Ambassador
for the CIIP and the Career
Advancement Center. He
finds he is much more focused
academically as well.
While in France, Walker
picked up academic credits in
the areas of political science,
psychology, art history, and,
of course, French. He was
surprised by two things: how
easy it was to pick up the
language, and how hard art
history turned out to be.
he was forced to learn how
to get around on the Metro,
to learn the language, and to
learn how to make his own
decisions. “There’s a nine-hour
time differential between Paris
and Los Angeles,” he laughed.
“There was no calling Mom
for some quick advice.”
Having taken stock of himself,
Walker is ready to take on the
world.
Jade Romain:
Language is No Barrier
Every once and while, life throws
you a curve ball; but it’s not always
a bad thing. Such was the case
for an unsuspecting Jade Romain,
whose experience overseas last
summer turned out to be a whole lot
different than she expected.
A senior speech pathology major
from Los Angeles CA (St. Mary’s
Academy), Romain traveled to
Africa expense-free at the invitation
of close friend, Teresa Langness,
director and founder of Full Circle
Learning, an international non-profit
which provides educational services
to community schools in developing
countries around the globe.
“Paris is a great city to study
art history – I got to visit the
Louvre and numerous other
great galleries and museums,”
he said. “But it was a really
difficult course to get through.”
Walker attributes his rebirth
to the self-dependency he
acquired abroad. Living with
an older couple in the city
several miles from the school,
Enthusiastic members of Xavier’s new freshman class, (L-R) Teneaka
White and Erica Greenwood, proudly display the Class of 2017
baseball caps they received during New Student Orientation’s
annual “capping” ceremony. Xavier was pleased to welcome a
freshman class of 675 into the fold for Fall 2013.
XU junior political science major
Thomas Walker in Paris, France.
Told she would be teaching
“character development” to pre-K/
kindergarten students (ages 2-7) in
Affording a Quality
Xavier Education
an area of Lusaka, Zambia known as
Chibolya, she was shocked to find
herself in a situation where none
of the children spoke any English.
Needless to say Romain had failed
to brush up on her Bemba, Tonga,
Nyanja, or any of the other scores of
languages spoken by the locals.
Introduced only as the “new
teacher”, Romain struggled early on
to teach 60 children the alphabet,
shapes, colors, numbers, and other
such rudimentary skills with no
educational materials other than
what she had brought along herself,
in a community school classroom
with no desks, no chairs, and no
windows – just holes in the wall for
ventilation.
continued on page 2
A Xavier education is well worth the investment
that families make.
The University takes great pride in the quality
of its academic programs. The value-oriented
educational environment and the many positive
influences provided through the campus life
programs supplement the formal classroom
experience. A Xavier diploma is one that is
recognized nationally and, indeed, around the
world. XU graduates are prepared to compete for
positions in the work-force and slots in graduate,
medical and other professional schools.
Xavier administers a broad array of financial
aid programs, including scholarships, grants,
loans, and work-study to assist in meeting
a student’s demonstrated financial need. In
addition, programs are available for families who
continued on page 2